Engineer
Major
China may buy at least 48 S-35 jets By He Shan
4 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, August 30, 2012 Adjust font size: China and Russia are negotiating contracts regarding the acquisition of Russian Su-35 fighter jets, according to deputy director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of Russia Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, the Global Times reported Wednesday.
The contract mainly focuses on the number of jets that China can purchase, the nation would preferably acquire in between 48 and 50 of them, whereas Russian concerns lie more with the risk of leaked expertise secrets.
In the long run, Russia may resume its supply of air defense arms including that of S-400s to China. Moreover, China may also become the first overseas buyer of the Ilyushin Il-476, a multi-purpose four-engine strategic airlifter designed by the Ilyushin design bureau. If the two countries continue the terms and conditions in their contract of 34 Ilyushin Il-76s and four Ilyushin Il-78s, which was inked in 2005, the amount of money involved will reach billions of U.S. dollars.
Analysts believe that China's rise as a global power has provided Russia with new opportunitiesn the fields of military and political cooperation between the two countries.
Russia took up a second spot for world arms sales in 2011, according to the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT) think tank. The nation's annual arms exports doubled over the past six years, from US$6 billion in 2005 to over US$13 billion in 2011, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in July.
In 2011, Russia sold nearly US$2 billion worth of weapons to China, accounting for 15 percent of Russia's total arms exports.
Repeating a fantasy will not make it true. China has already stated that they are not buying Su-35.
China refutes rumor on Su-35 purchase
"RusNEWS.CN reports (3-09-12 Beijing time): Reporter Alexi Yafmov reports: The Chinese Department of defence revealed to RusNews that reports by the Russian media regarding the signing of a 48 Su-35 fighter contract between China and Russia are inaccurate.
The Chinese Department of Defense clarified that : "In recent years, China maintained close strategic partnership with Russia and successfully cooperated in numerous domains. Sino-Russian military cooperation is an important part of Sino-Russian strategic partnership that is being carried out smoothly and has continuously yielded results. Reports that "China and Russia agreed on the purchase on 48 Su-35 fighters, however, have no factual basis.
On March 6th, Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted a Russian military insider when supposedly said that China and Russia agreed to sign a contract which will supply the Chinese military with 48 Su-35 fighters. The contract would have a net worth of 4.0 billion dollars."
Translation Courtesy of siegecrossbow. is the original link.